Contributed by ben_conoley. Posted by ben on Monday, July 20, 2009 at 7:30 PM (EDT)

New Lows is a Massachusetts-based hardcore band that recently signed to Deathwish, Inc. This interview was conducted between Scott Brown and New Lows vocalist P-Boy as the band prepares for its second appearance at Sound and Fury.

Your band has a definite theme and vibe. Do you have a five-year plan or anything like that?

A five-year plan doesn't really fit the theme or vibe of the band, I wouldn't think. We all studied under Dr. Leo Marvin and are still rabid followers of his "Baby Steps" method.

When I hear New Lows, it sounds like a Boston band. Why has Boston continued to be such an important international epicenter for hardcore?

The short answer is, it is because we are all miserable people. To expand- The weather is too cold, and then it is too hot. Sometimes it rains a lot and that sucks and then sometimes it is too sunny out and that sucks too. It has long been a college town which sucks and it is filled with club thumping carefree college transplants who suck. That makes rent goes up more and more due to gentrification and that really sucks. There are more and more changes happening to the landscape and year after year Boston loses more and more of its face and its character and that sucks and sucks and sucks. Mission Hill, my neighborhood I grew up in sucked 10 years ago and now it sucks 10 times worse. I think that is where the inspiration for many local area bands come from. Great baked beans though.

You have a shirt design that uses the cover of Sartre's Nausea. Has that book or any others played an important role in your development as a band or artist?

I felt it to be a very powerful book that I was also really connecting with to on a personal level. It certainly is a book that I felt embodied a lot of what I would write from a lyrical standpoint or even able to relate my own occasional thoughts to. Celine', Henry Miller, The artist Alfred Kubin, even someone like Woody Allen I feel have all bled a twisted sort of beauty out of bleak and drab landscapes, which I think I subconsciously could draw comparisons to where I grew up. I get a really sick sort of comfort out them I guess.

I heard you broke your leg and are not playing shows because of it. Why not do shows in a wheelchair or on crutches?

Our live shows aren't really conducive to that. Most importantly, I did not want to risk injuring myself any worse, but to just be sitting there would have been so depressing and awkward. James Hetfield or Seth Putnam I am not. I broke my toe after Sound And Fury last year and played one show sitting down and I hated it. We did play a show with Rival Mob and Guns Up when I was still in the air cast and able to stand, and I just found it to be awkward. With that said, it will probably still be a while until I am 100 percent, so the next few shows we play I am sure will be rough in my mind.

Your signing to Deathwish was announced awhile ago, but there hasn't been a release yet. What's the plan?

We saw how successful Guns N Roses were with taking 17 years to release a record and decided that was the method we should approach as well. In reality I moved down to NYC last fall to do improv comedy and with all of our full time jobs we don't have a lot of time to always just meet up and jam. This is a band we all do because we love music, so it has never been nor will it ever be treated as a job, so there was no real deadline for us to hang ourselves over. We decided we were not going to rush through the writing process for that reason alone. I can personally say I am always picky and never satisfied or have a habit of changing my mind on a lot of the stuff I write. We do have a demo of some new songs we recorded with CC a few weeks ago and it is really my favorite recording yet, and it will be available at Sound And Fury.

What is your relationship with the band The Wrong Side?

Oh, gosh...I would say it was an explosive or volatile relationship. Morgado and his blue eyes and soft mannerisms really charmed Shawn, Mark and myself off the streets and into the grave. But he could suddenly have mood swings and yell at us and tell us we were worthless and that we embarrass him in public. He would forbid us from being with anyone else, and yet would leave us in a basement whimpering and quivering while he was out fraternizing and jamming with other people, constantly reminding us we were replaceable. But he would still come back to us and say he was sorry and he loved us, and we would always allow him back. Finally one day, we decided enough was enough and with the support and genuine love from Doug and Jo we were finally able to break out of that relationship. Is it crazy that we still miss him sometimes?

I live in Ohio, which has a thriving house show scene all over the state. Recently, the town of Athens, OH (home of Ohio University and host to For Real Fest and tons of house shows) has banned house shows. How do you think underground hardcore and punk would be different without house shows?

Underground punk and hardcore would be non existent. There is really no other way to answer that. That is what it was built on. You've never heard of a thriving Alamo basement scene have you? Exactly.

This is your second year on Sound and Fury. What's the best and worst parts of playing Sound and Fury and other fests like it?

As cliched as it is, the only worst part of Sound And Fury is when it ends. Bob, Todd, and Riley constantly top themselves and we are honored they are having us back. I really don't think there is a better fest out there.

That's actually my favorite genre, all those bands are classic (Bongzilla just rips). I actually haven't heard of Minderaser, I'll check them out. I just mean like hardcore punk and Sabbath mixed together, I'm wondering if anyone has done that.

I do/have done weed, salvia and shrooms... and would probably do hash. I would never do ecstasy, crack, coke, heroin, acid, meth, anything other than the 3 or 4 previously mentioned I guess. Oh wait I would totally do DMT if I could get my hands on it. And I rarely drink and find it stupid as an activity.

I don't like drinking either. I drink lightly probably 4 times a month or so, when I'm just hanging out with friends or what not. Other than that, I don't think I'd do much other than weed, and I rarely will even do that. Being sober can be boring as fuck, but I'm rarely in the mood these days to get intoxicated.

But out of that list you gave, I would probably try coke once if I knew I could get away with it and that it wasn't laced with human tissue or something fucked up like that. I doubt if I'll ever even do that though.

Coke will always be a "never" for me. Any drug that is never associated with good times seems pointless to me. Like with weed you got "man we got high and saw this movie, it was hilarious" but with coke its "I heard she does coke... she's almost dead now, or might as well be". Alcohol seems to be "I had so much fun dancing around like an idiot... but I don't really remember... then I vomited in the ditch for 2 hours and woke up with an STD" so even that isn't very appealing to me.

I get fall down drunk at least 3 times a week. All of my friends are pot heads, and they suck at life, which has given me a few bad misconceptions about weed, so I dont do it. And usually, if someone does more than shrooms or weed around me, I dont assoiciate myself with them, because..well, I dont really know. Its just kind of not my thing.

I can't even remember the last time I was fall down drunk. Most of my friends are pot heads too, except they actually succeed at life. I've been pretty impressed so far. The drugs that I've seen ruin people are meth, heroin, xanax, and heavy painkillers. I had one cousin go to jail for selling meth in a school zone. Another cousin died from a heroin OD. My ex roommate is literally the worst guy I know, probably because he is addicted to xanax, and my uncle has had multiple painkiller addictions which has almost ruined his family.

So yeah, I generally don't associate with those things either, although I don't hold it against people who do them at all.

At first I listened to it turned down and coming through my computer speakers, and it seemed his voice was kinda... too much. Like overproduced and Fall Out Boy-ish. Reminded me of another Ontarionian band called I Am Committing A Sin. But then I put in my headphones and turned it up, and they sound MUCH better than I thought.

At first I thought the same, now I just think they're a bit poppy but it works well for them. Though they are kinda straddling a dangerous line and could potentially fall the wrong way and become too poppy and undeniably cheesy. But they could just as easily fall the other way and be more PBC-ish and I'd shit my pants. They've got lots of potential I think. Look at me, sounding like I didn't just listen to them for the first time an hour ago.

This band is from my hometown. Really fun band, they should of had the chance too play with Polar bear club last time they were here, instead of those other two awful bands that got to I am commiting a sin, and ulysses and the siren.

So its been an hour and 20 min since I started this take home test. Ive only done 20 questions...and its multiple choice. And there are only 55 questions. Procrastination at its finest.
So do I finish it while drinking?
Or do I finish it when I get home from drinking?

I'm mad as hell. My phone was shut up because my last bill wasn't paid. It's their own damn fault. I have set up automatic paying. I spoke to my bank this morning. My debit card was never charged; verizon told me the charge was declined. I want my motherfucking phone turned back on and all fees waived.

Is it your first time using automated payments? I almost lost out on the reduced interest in my student loans because my first month signed up for deductions from my bank account didn't register. Luckily the dude at AES gets the call all the time and was able to help me make a manual payment before I lost credit.

Bottom line is don't go to college, kids, you'll just end up working part time after graduation and get kicked out of bars for throwing salt at people.

Two Worlds, was good while it lasted but I fucked up and a large group of sidequests became glitched and I spent so much time running back and forth trying to fix it that I'm too sick of the game to play it.

Sacred 2, is really massive and I can't see myself ever completing it because it's so damn boring to play. I don't get immersed in it at all, there is no atmosphere or anything special to draw me in. Combat consists of holding down buttons assigned to weapons until all the repetitive enemies around you are defeated. Sure, there's combat moves but... bleh. Camera kinda drives me crazy too. Also sucks in the perspective that I traded in Rock Band 2, Fable 2 and Overlord to get the money for it.

The Abyss, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, The Battle of Algiers, Bringing Out the Dead, Dark City, Days of Being Wild, Deer Hunter, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Eraserhead, The Fifth Element, Gattaca, La Haine, Master and Commander, No Man's Land, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Primer, Princess Mononoke, Ravenous, Ronin, Secondhand Lions, A Short Film About Killing, Sneakers, Solaris and Solyaris, Soldier, Stalker, Steamroller and the Violin, Stroszek, Taken, Taxi Driver, The Thin Red Line, The Third Man, To Live, V for Vendetta, and Winter Light.

I'm an idiot.
First, I should never drink alcohol in the afternoon. Especially if it's liquor. I can count the number of times I've had liquor on one hand. Went to lunch with a friend (she was a female), but out waitress was a girl whose been texting me a lot for the past few weeks to hang out and I've blown her off. So it became really awkward, so I kept drinking.
My friend and I parted ways after the meal and the margaritas I told the waitress I would see her later But I said it like a porn star. Apparently I drove to Petsmart, because that's where I found my car after I left Barnes & Noble. I'm not sure why I went there, but I think its because the London girl recommended the book Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. And I thought buying the book would impress her.
When I was back in my car I rolled down the windows and fell asleep because my car felt like a warm summer beach. I woke up about half an hour later, drove home. Found my brother had been here and messed up my last.fm because he played a song on my iTunes and left it on. I haven't heard any song off Everything Sucks (except for I'm The One).
Long story short I should only drink around friends. And I need to build up my alcohol tolerance.

"Apparently I drove to Petsmart, because that's where I found my car after I left Barnes & Noble. I'm not sure why I went there, but I think its because the London girl recommended the book Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. And I thought buying the book would impress her."

it's 12-5 right now, it's awesome because they were talking about how he only needed a couple RBIs tonight to take the lead in the american league, and he obviously blew way past that before the 4th inning

as much as I want it to work, I have a sinking feeling he is going to sustain a season ending injury in the first few games. I could just see the football gods going that direction after all this hubub.

So the LOC show girl is back in the picture after hanging out with her with a bunch of people.
My prospects are up to 2 and a half. The half is the Micoeconmics girl that is way to hot for my fat, hairy ass.

And my friend smuggled back Jamican weed. Its REALLY fucking green. And smells weird as fuck. He got like 4 G's for 10 bucks. I was pretty impressed with him. He didnt even have to shove it up his ass to get it across the border.

1. LOC girl. She is way more my type.
2. I have no idea. The LOC girl just plays head games up the ass. I thought stuff was over with her, she even has a bf now, and she is texting me things that she should not be texting me.
3. Probably counry girl, but I dont know yet. Because Ive already went through hell with LOC girl.

Discussion not over. She is crazy.
Not to mention really hot, and we have already a connection because we have already kissed and whatnot and she has expressed that she still likes me, which leads me to her more than country girl.

how do you get yourself goddamn taped prancing around your hotel room naked? That seems a little suspect. If she is such the exhibitionist give me a little fappage. A little fappage with another chick pissing on your face, preferably.

Man, last time I saw Reel Big Fish was around Christmas time 2004. You would have loved being a ska teenager in LA. Every ska band in the world played here constantly. I've probably seen them and the Aquabats more than any other band and that was just in a 2 year span.

I saw the Aquabats plenty of times and mostly in their ska days. I saw like 3 shows once they started playing without the horns and added the keyboards and/or synth's. I wasn't digging it so I stopped going to their shows.

It was hard finding something that mentioned the show, but I found one on a Japanese fansite for Lit, lol. Well anyways, this was probably the best ska show I've been to: (scroll down to the very bottom to March 26)

So, I was walking down Belmont tonight and some dude that looked like murderface from the metalocalypse show popped out of this doorway by walgreens and tried to sell me some bootlegged dvd's. As he was shuffling through them and i was shuffling past him, I couldn't help but notice he misspelled every single movie title wrong. that was the second clue of many that made me keep walking.

Haha the weird thing is about me is that I don't even tell normal people I meet that I'm into punk rock.
When they ask me what music I listen to, I just say Classic rock and 90's alternative stuff.
I just don't think they understand what punk is. They'd probably think punk is most of the dumb shit on Warped and I don't feel like trying to explain to them.

Word for word text from LOC girl. She called me a bitch and then I called her that just to recipicate..it was all in good fun.. she replied with...
"Youre a cute bitch, and I hate you because you are FUCKING cute, but Im not suppose to tell you this and it fucking sucks"
Fuck you Gimp, Im going for it, I dont give a shit if she has a boyfriend because she obviously doesnt care.

the dude she is dating does acid and shit, and looks like the biggest vagina I have ever seen in my life. So basically I think I am 10 times better for her than that kid is, which is why Im going to keep on persuing her.
And it would be a big deal if he did drugs if she did not tell me that she doesnt like it when her boyfriends do drugs...

She is not going to the RBF show. Because Im not even goijgn.
So best case senerio I wind up being with her for like 2 weeks, fuck her, and then she goes back with her ex. But Id take it at this point/

sucks to be you. i went over to see this place tonight. got it. it's a 3 bedroom, only two of us living there. my half is $475 plus utilities. i'm so stoked on the money i'll save. not stoked on the commute to school and work this fall.

If you liked GNVFLA, then you should start with Hello Rockview next. That's a general consensus on an album everyone loves. After that the opinions split on what their next best album is between Losing Streak (more classic ska/punk), Borders & Boundaries (more of a mature sound, extremely well produced), and Anthem (a nice solid mix of their classic sound with the start of their well rounded mature sound).

It's been a hectic first day in Thailand for the Reds - but we've been with them every step of the way as Rafael Benitez and his men have sparked scenes of joy in the capital.
It was supposed to be a low-key arrival into Bangkok's old airport when the Reds touched down earlier today, but that didn't stop hundreds of fanatical Reds from clinging onto all possible vantage points to watch their heroes emerge from their chartered plane. Fortunately most of the players had slept during the overnight flight so were able to smile for the cameras.

Such is Liverpool's popularity in Thailand, a local TV station have a permament presence in the team hotel - and cross live to speak to their on site presenter every time a Liverpool player wanders past. There are fans swarming around all floors of the hotel - apart from the team floor which has been secured.
There are even reports that members of the local fan clubs - who live in the city - have checked into the hotel this week to try and catch a glimpse of their idols.

And talking of presenters, LFC TV is clearly hugely popular in Thailand if the amount of people wanting their photograph taken with our very own Claire Rourke is anything to go by.

Press conferences abroad are often different animals to those at home with foreign media asking random question after random question. Our favourite from the opening press conference was a question aimed at the manager.

"Rafa, do you want Tom Hicks and George Gillett to sell their hockey teams so you can have more money?"

The boss laughed off the question - which was more than Ryan Babel could do when he was asked for his opinions on the swine flu outbreak.

Rafa had some nice words to say about Babel during the press conference, going out of his way to insist the Dutchman will be a hit this season. "He worked hard in the summer, he has come back fit and when you have that mentality then you will always improve," said the gaffer. No doubt a big confidence booster for Ryan to hear his boss talking in such glowing terms.

You'll Never Walk Alone is being played repeatedly on the hotel's in-house TV channel, featuring welcoming messages from Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt, Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard. A nice touch.

Of course Stevie is the one big name missing from the travelling party - and his good mate Carra was keen to pass on a message from the skipper. "Myself and Stevie have been here before and have always had enjoyable trips, so I know he is disappointed he can't be here this time. He will be doing his fitness work back home and I'm sure he'll be ready for us for the start of the season."

The players enjoyed a light work-out at a local sports club this afternoon - but the real action on the training field begins on Tuesday with a double session as the players gear up for Wednesday's friendly at the National Stadium

The man with the biggest smile in the hotel today is Steve McMahon, the man whose Profitable Group has made this tour happen. "I'm so proud to see Liverpool FC in the Far East and to have been a part of making it happen is fantastic," he beamed. We'll hear more from Steve on the website tomorrow.

The players rounded off their first day in Thailand by attending a welcome reception at which dozens of local fans got a dream opportunity to have a photograph with their heroes. Even after a long flight and a gruelling first day, the players still had a smile and a kind word for everyone before retiring for some much-needed sleep.

I have a question for this band. Today I actually saw a person rollerblading. To be more specific, I was on the toilet and I heard what I thought was my friend skating up to my apartment. I looked out the window to see a relic of the past, a person on rollerblades. The window was wide open and my head was not in the line of sight of this person. I had a sudden urge to yell "fruit booter" at this last remaining dinosaur of 90's extreme sports. Then, right before the words left my mouth, I thought, "Shit, maybe that term is homophobic". Thus I held back the urge to yell out. So, what I would like to know is "fruitbooter" acceptable or is it not PC?

What is your problem, baby?You're good-looking, you got a beautiful body, beautiful legs a beautiful face, all these guys in love with you. Only you got a look in your eye like you haven't been fucked in a year